Fairy Circles and Soup
by Marionette Ame
Summary: Now Feng Mian doesn't think much of her adventures as a child, but everyone else certainly does. Especially when it gets her hitched. (Claudia Tradio x OC, oc centric)


Her hometown is small and sleepy and surrounded by trees in every direction except east. Not that most people know where east is when she tells them that.

They also romanticise the notion in a way she finds strange.

"_Oh, it must be wonderful to be so close to nature!"_

"_No traffic? Lucky."_

"_Gosh I wish I came from a town rather than this shitty city. You can never escape the smog or noise."_

And well, it's not like they're _wrong. _But they're not right either and it shows when she tells them that the only hospital is in that big town to the east. And that the only shopping mall is in the big town. And they only have a kindergarten and elementary school with the rest of your student life being in that big town. Then there's the hotels and vets and pretty much everything, still only in that big town to the east.

Nobody really realises that the trees and the quiet are all that her town really has. That and the fact that everyone knows everyone and so they know all the drama that happens. Which means if someone punched that asshole who wouldn't stop hitting on you (he had deserved it. she'd already rejected him a million times so of course her sister would get tired of it and punch his teeth out), they'd end up with people staring for years on end.

That doesn't really matter anymore with both of them studying in a big city now. They've always been rich so living here isn't hard. Not on their father anyway. He can support them easily even as he sends their youngest sister to the fancy elementary school he teaches at. The same one they went to.

What's hard is not being able to go to the forest for some peace of mind. It's not too bad though. They can go everywhere else easily enough (and without having to take a trip to the next town over) so that makes up for it.

At least that's what they tell themselves.

She yearns for the deep green of a proper forest (a place where you can walk and walk and walk in a single direction for days and still be nowhere near the other side. the sort that whispers when wind wisps through, and whispers even when it doesn't. areas where everything is patchy because you can hear everything fine one moment with the birds and insects singing in cacophonous harmony, then the next there won't be anything, as if everything's been wiped from the world but you, leaving the air still. there won't be any rivers or springs or rain but the gentle murmur of burbling water will invite you near to rest, _to safety, _and trying to drown it out will be the melody of a dizi or yangqin or someone singing. but why go to there when she can hear her father play music much more beautiful?), not the parks they have here. The city is stifling and she has always been a child of the woods. Her entire family is of the woods, though her father in a way that differs from them.

Zarga Siriana, her beloved father, is like a human (but then he _is_ human so that shouldn't be surprising and yet she's shocked everytime. just like she never really remembers that all people are human). His way of being of the woods is that of a human who never belonged with other humans. Hers, and her sisters', is of someone who was born of the woods. So of course it's difficult to be away from them, and they look forward to each holiday which means they can return home.

Not everyone is at ease with their love though. In her youth she would be watched over like a hawk by well-meaning adults. They'd pull her away from mossy trees with hollow crooks and stones that collected rain and dew and rings of fungi that grew a little too far from the town, a bit too deep among the trees.

She's got loads of memories of such events unlike Fei Hung who only wants to curl up in the branches of the trees and doze in their shade. They're all pretty fun too, though whenever she mentions them people look at her strange.

_She's a child. Short and not even to anyone's knees, yet her father lets her wander in the woods alone (except not really because he's following her but she didn't know that then and still doesn't). It's fun even though she doesn't know where she is since all the trees look the same._

_They're tall and winding and don't let her see the forest because they make it all dark. It's unfair! Especially since she ends up touching the bark of the trees so that she knows that they're there. It would be fine if these trees were the smooth ones or the ones that were used to make the hollow music tubes she and her father played. They're not though. Instead they're rough and wet and she doesn't like how it feels on her hands. Especially because nothing looks wet and her hands never are when she pulls them away either._

_Then she hears a pretty sound. It's from strings because her father plays them and she's learning too and sometimes two men visit who play some too. The men are a bit weird (because one's hair is pink-purple and he's always speaking strangely, and the other man plays so many instruments at once that it has to be magic), and they always say that they're checking up on him on behalf of some person she doesn't bother remembering the name of._

_It's the same sort of pretty as when her father plays his dizi or guzheng so she can't help following the sound. Once or twice she trips over the roots of the trees and her palms hurt but she doesn't care. Only when she's peeking out at a meadow is she satisfied._

_At what looks like a harp (the same sort the strange purple haired man plays. he calls it the konghou and it does look like one, except the ones from long ago in the past that aren't supposed to exist anymore. which is stupid because they do if there are people playing them now) is a woman with hair that's the exact pink-purple of the weird man's. Except she likes this lady more since she's pretty. And a lady._

_She watches for a while behind the tree but then she sees a weird shadow man (she sees them all the time and she doesn't like them. they're weird and scary and nobody else can see them, not even daddy, so she has to protect herself) going towards the woman. He's slow but he's getting there and she stumbles out from where she's hiding to warn the pretty lady. It backfires because when she does the lady looks at her as if she's shocked and runs away with her konghou, right into the shadow man. Except she goes right through him so Feng Mian doesn't understand anything anymore._

_She sinks to the ground and starts sobbing as the shadow man inches closer, and gets louder as he does. From somewhere her father comes and he picks her up and she clings to him as she cries._

_She's scared. _

_Tasty!_

_At least Feng Mian thinks that the water in the tree stump must be tasty (then again, everything's tastier than the medicine daddy asks her to take ever since they started going to the doctor after she told him about the shadow men and the wet but not wet trees. she doesn't like it because now her ears ring and the shadow men look scarier and the trees are still wet). So she goes and cups her hands to get some of it._

_It's kinda murky and green but when she tastes it she's happy because she was right! It is delicious!_

_But when she goes to take more she's being dragged away by some adult whose grip on her wrist is too tight. She doesn't like it at all. Still she doesn't say anything because she's used to it, and only watches the tree stump in the ring of mushrooms go farther and farther away as they scold her._

_Things in mushroom rings never stay where they are. She knows that. No matter how much she tries to find them again she can't, not even when they're right next to her house. So she just watches the stump, hoping maybe she can find something like that again one day because of how the taste had been so nice._

_One day when she's hiking up a mountain with her father and sister (though it's really just her father carrying her while her younger sister walks. she doesn't like to and Fei Hung does so she's considered spoiled but all she wants to do is be close to her father. and not liking to walk just makes that easier. plus they make a cuter image like this) she sees a man. At first she doesn't really care but he kinda reminds her of the dogs daddy keeps with his wild hair. He's a lot prettier though. So pretty that she wonders if all dogs would look like that if they were human._

_She tugs at her father's sleeve and he lets her down. Fei clutches onto her when she does so she ends up having to walk slowly over to the man instead of fast. Her father watches carefully, almost warily, but doesn't come near (kinda like he's afraid that if he does he won't be able to go back. kinda like he recognises the man. kinda like he just wants to leave but only doesn't because she wants to see this man). When they're close enough to the man who's sitting on the rock, she stares a bit more than she already was because he's carving a bone into a flute (Fei stares too but only because his hair is blue not black. it's not as messy as she thought it was either and that's kinda weird but he has a really nice feeling and she likes him already)._

_He smiles at them and she's amazed and asks, "Do you know the pretty lady with purple hair?" because pretty people probably know each other. She knows that the man who visits them knows her but he just laughs and says that she needs to find out about her herself._

_He's stupid._

_(she said that to his face too but it only made him laugh more. and then her father scolded her.)_

_The dog man smiles when she asks that and it's so happy that she almost looks behind him to see if a tail i wagging. There isn't but she swears she can hear it thumping against the ground (though maybe that's just because of the hallucinations the doctors say she has. it's weird because if she sees something or hears it then it must be real but it's not. and she's changed medicines a lot so now she doesn't smell smoke or fish or trees when they aren't there but everything else still haunts her) so she's starting to think he really is a dog._

"_Yes! Her majesty told me to tell you that she's just a normal person." Feng Mian stares at him like he's stupid for a moment but then- "I think that's stupid though and so does _

"_Yes! Her majesty told me to tell you that she's just a normal person." Feng Mian stares at him like he's an idiot for a moment but then- "I think that's stupid though so I'm not listening to her-" he continues and she likes him a lot more._

_Fei tugs at her shirt and Feng Mian makes a face because they haven't even actually talked! It doesn't matter though and she just waves at the pretty man because if Fei is uncomfortable then they have to go. Her sister is more important than someone she doesn't know._

_The man simply waves back eagerly and they continue on up the mountain. When they return he's not there, and she's kinda disappointed he didn't leave his flute behind because she wanted it._

_A few days later a wolf ends up in her kindergarten and everyone freaks out. One of the teachers rushes to get a gun but the wolf just sits there with his tongue out and tail wagging like a dog. It's cute, and she's reminded of the pretty man since his fur looks blue under the sun so she ends up walking home with him so that he isn't killed._

_Her father sighs and tells her that her teachers were worried she got eaten but that's stupid. And it doesn't matter anyway since she got a new pet._

_The woman next door kneels and talks to her. Feng Mian likes the woman because she's nice and pretty and always lets her and Fei play with her kids. Most people don't because they say she's weird. She's not. Just because they don't know what people can be like doesn't mean the way she acts is unnatural._

_They don't see her calling them weird because they eat dumb stuff like broccoli pudding or when they play those games with bad pictures that make her hallucinations worse so she doesn't understand why they can't do the same._

_And that's why when the woman gives her a cute looking necklace in the shape of a t she just accepts it. Her hand kinda starts tingling badly when she does and when she goes to show her father what she got his face goes cold. She droops instantly when he does because that means he's angry and he's never gotten angry at her before but he is now. Except he's not because he gently tells her to stay home with Fei and Ivo (he named her wolf that and it's not fair but the man with blue hair comes by often and his name is Ivo too so she doesn't mind so much. the wolf does remind her of him after all. for some reason he always goes out when the man comes so she can't show him off) as he takes the cross back to the woman._

_She does that and Fei bandages her hands because there's a bad rash all over them. There must have been something she was allergic to that she touched, though she doesn't remember anything other than the iron necklace. It's weird. But then again, she forgets everything she doesn't think is important._

_She never does get the necklace back._

_There are shadowy figures in the trees._

_Not the ones from her hallucinations but actual people walking by. And loads of them. So many who are talking and laughing and singing. They're dancing and playing instruments and she's pretty sure it's a parade._

_Peeking through the foliage, Feng Mian tries to make out their faces. After all, if they're from home than she'll be angry because nobody told her they were having such a big festival._

_Sure it wouldn't be the first time the people in town kept their family out of the loop but a festival? That's taking it too far! Maybe father and Fei won't be angry because they don't care about being with other people (she doesn't either. they're not that social of people except when her father's friends come over. and he always gets super happy when the man with an eyepatch, and bright red hair that she swears is sentient and not just her hallucinations again, visits. so happy that they kiss and cuddle and sometimes send her and Fei to sleep in a different room. it's stupid. his bed is big enough for all of them to sleep on it!), but that's no excuse to isolate them!_

_There are loads of accessories and clothes she wouldn't expect from the town people. Horns in all sorts of shapes and sizes and colours (her favourite is the curved black ones of a man with mousey brown hair), skin that looks kinda like those of her lizards, wings, and so much more. Would they really do all of this?_

_Then she sees the faces of these people and the answer is a clear '__**no**__'._

_She's never seen any of them before in her life. Sure she doesn't bother remembering things she doesn't care about but even she can't forget faces. Most of the time anyway. So because she's sure that nobody in town is capable of sorcery (or superb makeup skills) they must be from somewhere else (she never thinks about how there isn't any place near for ages and that if so many people did come here they'd have to pass through their town. nor does she ever think about how there's no reason for this parade and how the people seem to have full control over all the extra appendages. it's not important)._

_And that's why she continues on her way without paying any attention to the way they flicker through the trees. At home she tells her father about it and he praises her for not going up to strangers which makes her giggle and blush. She loves having his attention._

_Then there was that one time she walked to the sea and back in only two hours. It was sorta strange because the sea was two weeks off by walking (and that was for an adult! Feng Mian hadn't even been half the age to qualify for that yet!) but she didn't bother trying to figure it out._

_Why should she?_

_It's not like the beach was that much fun anyway, and her legs had been hurting from all the walking she'd done so she didn't want to know. Neither did she ever want to try doing it again. Rather, she was more intrigued by all the circles of mushrooms that she'd seen on the way. _

She and Fei are home for the holidays. Except it's only really the holidays for Fei because she's all graduated and done now. That means instead of relaxing she's considered a lazy unemployed idiot by everyone around.

At least her family doesn't think in that sort of way. After all it's only been days and maybe she hasn't applied anywhere yet but that's since her father's already guaranteed her a job. She has that type of privilege.

And that's why she's sprawled out on the ground in the middle of the forest. It's been so long and the dirt feels nice on her cheek (it's not hard to wash it out of her hair either so she's not worried). Nothing ever seems to change here. Everything's still shades of green and brown and more, the birds still chirp and sing and the incessant screaming of the insects persist. There's still plenty of motion and the leaves rustle, so she's always privyto _something._ So she's never alone.

The shade of the trees makes everything cool so she's sleepy and almost out when someone kneels beside her, a blur of pink-purple in her vision. She wants to move but her eyes are tired and so's her body so she can't. Instead she falls asleep.

When she wakes it's in her bed. She knows that because there's the incense her father keeps burning for her so that she's calmer. The one that soothes her hallucinations a bit. Not completely of course. Even all her medications don't do that.

She's tucked in well under the thick fur blanket and there's the woman by her side. Her father's here too but- "You don't look older."

That makes her father sigh and the woman stifles her laughter. "Why would I grow older?"

Feng Mian doesn't roll her eyes only because this woman from her youth is extremely pretty, and damn if she doesn't love women. So out comes a bored- "Yeah."

Her father sighs again and makes that look he always does which means he'll be talking to her later. She doesn't mind. It's always about something important after all. She stares at the woman silently and after a while it makes her cough. Did she make her uncomfortable?

"I am Claudia. It is a pleasure to meet you properly."

"Cool name-" one she wouldn't mind screaming- "I'm Feng Mian."

Again Claudia stifles her laughter. "I know the name of my betrothed. You need not introduce yourself."

She glances at her father and he shakes his head. So he didn't arrange it? Then- "I don't remember accepting a proposal. What're you talking about?"

Finally, Claudia giggles without covering it up. "You heard me play my konghou then drank my stew. Do you not remember those actions of promising yourself to me?"

"Huh."

It's a lacklustre reaction but there's really nothing she can say about that. She can't even say she wouldn't have done it if she'd known this would happen because she doesn't exactly mind being married to a pretty lady. Her father knows this too because he's massaging his temple with a deep sigh.

She supposes it means that this is just how things will be from now on. Her father fixing this mess as she sits in a cocoon of blankets confused. Though that's not really much different from how things are normally. Just that it doesn't usually include beautiful women.

Feng Mian marries the Queen of the Seelie Court in the Spring.

All the revelations had come rapidly, even with her father trying to take it slow. Not that she minds too much aside from all the new information at once. That and the fact that for some reason her wolf Ivo ran off before the wedding but she settles for the fae Ivo. He's cool too.


End file.
